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Battle
Of The Boyne Site
The
infamous and decisive battle of
the Boyne took place on July 1st
1690 between deposed King James
VII of Scotland and II of England
and his son-in-law and successor
William for the English, Scottish
and Irish thrones.
William had an army of 36,000
men composed of troops from many
countries and James had 25,000
making it the largest number of
troops ever deployed on an Irish
battlefield .William's troops
were in general far better trained
and equipped than were those of
James. William
set up camp on the North-side
of the River with James to the
South.
The battle itself was fought over
a ford at Oldbridge with the casualty
figure being about 2,000, quite
low for a battle of such a scale.
The site of the battle covers
a large are to the west of Drogheda.
There is an interprative centre
at Oldbridge which is currently
being developed. It contains a
display of replica 17th century
weaponry and has an outdoor picnic
area. There is a Live History
event every Sunday from June to
September. Limited parking is
available.
The other main combat areas on
the day (at Duleek, Donore and
Plattin - along the Jacobite line
of retreat) are marked with tourist
information signs
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